Getting accepted in piano performance, then switching to a non-music major?

College Majors Music Major
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<p>Hi. I'm a classical pianist. Up until my sophomore year as in HS, I was dead set on getting into a conservatory. It's where my heart was at. But now, being a senior in a couple of months, half of my passions are now in Political Science, with the intent of becoming a journalist. I'm split in two over my passions, and it's causing me a lot of inner turmoil as admissions deadlines loom closer.</p>

<p>But I'm young, and inexperienced. I don't know where I'll be at the end of this year. Hell, I used to bet my LIFE that I'd major in piano performance, now, not so much at all... </p>

<p>My question: With life's twists and turns, is it possible to get into a good school as a music major and then drop that major and switch? It's unreasonable for me to expect that I'd remain a music major after I apply. I'm considering all future options. If the urge arises, just as it did two years ago, can I switch majors to my heart's content? Would it be too difficult to get accepted in piano performance, have my life unravel again, and want to switch to a non-music major? </p>

<p>Thank you for reading.</p>

2

<p>Switching majors for any subject later on in college might result in taking extra time to graduate- since higher level courses require taking prerequisites, so while I would say that it is possible, it isn’t as easy as switching to your heart’s content. </p>

<p>Majoring in music is a significant time commitment, and it requires not only time in class but lessons, ensembles and more. I’m not a musician, but I have known some music majors, and what I have observed is that there is also a practice element to it- those who focused on music devoted a lot of time to it and were able to devote spare time to practice. A double major is possible, but one has to stay very focused because there are dual time demands.</p>

<p>This website on students who seem split between music has been posted here before and it is a good analysis of your dilemma.
<a href=“http://www.peabody.jhu.edu/conservatory/admissions/tips/doubledegree.html”>http://www.peabody.jhu.edu/conservatory/admissions/tips/doubledegree.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>It also depends on where you go to college. For some colleges with conservatories, one has to be accepted into both the college and the conservatory to do a dual major. There are also liberal arts colleges where music is a department within the college and one can do both majors side by side and even switch if you choose. </p>

<p>If you are a rising senior- you will apply at the start of the year, but you won’t have to decide until May. If you are undecided, one way to keep your options open is to apply to some different types of colleges. I take it that you are not considering one that is only a conservatory if you wish to have other majors, but you could still apply to conservatories if this is your plan in addition to colleges with conservatories ( which means applying to both the conservatory and the college), as well as colleges with strong music departments. </p>

<p>I think that it is possible to have second thoughts about any major and even musicians can have slumps at times. It is also possible that someone in your position will feel divided between interests and the other can eventually prevail. You could get a degree in piano performance and even go to graduate school in a different subject later. You don’t know your future, but your decision doesn’t need to be made right now. </p>

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<p>A number of musicians with multiple interests in my town applied to both colleges with academic majors of interest and conservatories/colleges of music (and some that offered both options) so that come April they would have different paths available to them. (The person you are in April of senior year is often quite different from the one who began the college search!) The downside, of course, is that you end up sending out a few more applications.</p>

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<p>Have you considered Lawrence University? They have a 5-year double major in music & BA which is quite popular. And yes, sometimes students drop one of the majors and graduate in 4 years. Terry Moran from ABC news graduated from Lawrence, and a I read an article where he said that attending a small college gave him the opportunity to get heavily involved in the school newspaper which he thought was great experience.</p>

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<p>My daughter applied to both conservatories and colleges and decided in late April of senior year. It was still hard to decide but she appreciated that extra time to gain clarity.</p>

<p>The Peabody link is very good, so hope you have a chance to read it.</p>

<p>You can also look at double degree programs, as others have said: Oberlin, Lawrence, Bard are often mentioned but there are others.</p>

<p>Another option is to do piano privately and as an extracurricular or off campus.</p>

<p>There are many ways to go and it is good to set up your choices flexibly, and maybe even make choices that ensure some flexibility down the road. Good luck!</p>

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<p>I think others have had good suggestions, about applying to both academic schools and schools of music, and then next year deciding by May what you want to do. Some schools will allow dual majors and/or degrees, where you can do a BM and a BA/BS in something else, some require it (Bard), so that is a possible path (from what I seem to recall, some schools, like Rice, don’t allow BM majors to dual degree/major, but I could be wrong about that). The downside of this is a BM degree requires a lot of time, I have heard people talking about BM degrees, how ‘little’ coursework there is compared to a BA, and it is a misguided view. It is true that in a conservatory BM program, you don’t have all the liberal arts courses, but you have pretty demanding coursework in music theory, history, etc, and that is on top of the amount of practicing, lessons, and ensemble playing (Piano may be a bit different than let’s say strings or an orchestral instrument, but it will be in content, not intensity).</p>

<p>Conventional wisdom would be that if you can see yourself doing anything else but music, don’t do it, but it isn’t necessarily that rigid. Making a living in music is difficult, and the competition on piano is quite frankly staggering, but if you believe you have the chops to do it, to get into a competitive program, and then have the drive and ingenuity to hash out a career, but it may be worth a shot if the passion is there. The thing to keep in mind is if you do a BM, then find you don’t want to do music in the end, you could always go to grad school and get a degree in something else, it is not mutually exclusive. </p>

<p>Here are some of the options I see:</p>

<p>1)Go to a conservatory, stand alone, and get the BM degree. If you decide not to do music in the end, you could then go to grad school for something else, like Poly Sci. The downside is you could find yourself in the middle, hating it, and having the option of toughing through it, or trying to transfer, which may be difficult. If your worry is about making a career in music but the passion is there, this shouldn’t be a problem, but if your committment to music as a love is questionable, this may not be a good choice.</p>

<p>2)Got to a music school within a university (ie Bard, Indiana, Oberlin, etc, etc) and dual major/dual degree. If music doesn’t work out, you can finish a degree in the second subject (I don’t know at a place like Bard, if that means transferring to the college, or do you simply drop the BM…). Friend of mine did that at Indiana, he decided not to pursue music and finished his academic degree. Downside is the work of maintaining a dual degree, as mentioned above, but it is kind of a solution if you are not sure about music in terms of passion. You could also I assume work on a BM, and if you decide it isn’t for you in such a place, switch over to a BA degree. From what I know, inside a university like that, the music students may have to take the core courses others do, and since you don’t have to declare a major until Sophomore year, may not be that hard to do…</p>

<p>3)Get a BA in music, rather than a BM, and double major. The BA is not as intensive as a BM from what I know, so you probably could double degree/major easier doing that I assume.</p>

<p>Keep in mind that if you decide not to major in performance at all, you still probably can take piano lessons and potentially do ensemble work and such, so even if you don’t decide you want to major it in, you still can have it. </p>

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<p>At many universities you do not officialy declare your major until after sophmore year. At Rice you could start in Shepperd School of Music and change your mind and take another major instead but you could not do the reverse. There are so many variations depending on the school but generally from what I have seen it is easier to start in music and change than to do the reverse. </p>

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<p>You can always change majors. Don’t let anyone convince you it is not possible. I have known kids who were talented musicians who went off to college intent on majoring in something besides music who found themselves returning to music and even going on to get their Master’s at a top conservatory. I have known kids who attended conservatories who transferred to top liberal arts colleges because they decided they wanted to pursue something more academic. You can even change your major once you are an adult. I know many people old enough to join the AARP who have changed careers. My mother never had the opportunity to study music formally at a conservatory but she found herself studying and pursuing singing in her 50s and was quite successful.</p>

<p>Also keep in mind that everything you do will inform and contribute in some way to everything you do after that. So let’s say you do music but then decide to pursue a political career. You might be amazed at the way your musical training contributes to how you think and make choices. </p>

<p>The recently retired professor of Wheaton College in Norton MA was a classically trained musician. He often talked about the way his musical training shaped his ability to be a high profile academic administrator.</p>

<p>RELAX……try to focus on doing what you want to do NOW. The rest will come.</p>

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<p>StacJip is always wise :)</p>

<p>Remember too that major does not necessarily relate to or determine what job you will have or what grad program you might do. Life is flexible!</p>

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<p>One issue could be financial if you choose a school based on a merit based music scholarship. That will be lost if you drop the major, and may, or may not, be replaced by need based support or academic merit. </p>

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<p>Thanks comp mom….I am not sure how wise I am but three challenging kids resulted in a steep learning curve when it comes to complicated kids, learning and higher education.</p>

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<p>Stradmom’s comments above are so true. You will probably be a different person next April than in you are right now. With S1, we applied to conservatories and LACs with strong music programs. He eventually chose the LAC with a strong music program where he could double major. Some schools like Vassar have Steinway’s in all the practice rooms and in every dorm (where there was always (yes really) someone playing a complex piano piece every time we visited his dorm). Other schools like Tufts may surprise you - on beautiful Friday afternoon, their practice rooms were full. You need to visit the schools and listen to performances to gauge the ‘level’ and ‘atmosphere’ of music at each school. Perhaps all you need is to find a nurturing environment for your music development that allows to to be the best musician you can be and still pursue other interests. Many years ago, I chose a conservatory within a university and earned a double degree (BA/BM) because I wanted just that. I now see that a strong music LAC can provide you with the same opportunity. Apply to both types of schools and you can decide which is best for you next April.</p>

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<p>Siminim, one option you may wish to consider would be a cognate-type degree. For example, the university of Michigan has a fab piano perf dept, but does also have a degree called the “bachelor of musical arts” (BMA) which is designed for students who wish to add a concentration outside the school of music but don’t necessarily want to dual degree. My hunch is that you would still have access to top level piano peeps going this route.</p>

<p>If that school is of interest to you and financially/academically (and musically) accessible, they do have an outstanding newspaper and a fabulous poly sci program. </p>

<p>In journalism, which has experienced major shifts in the nature of the profession over the last two decades, you’d likely want to consider a good, specialized masters degree anyway if you want to do well in A-level markets…eg Columbia, Northwestern, etc. a liberal arts background from a rigorous school is IMHO the best preparation for a “good” journalist.</p>

<p>Frankly, the last several hires we made at a major daily before I left the industry were exclusively journalists with this kind of training (masters) and with substantial portfolios in smaller markets. In journalism, it is very easy to get trapped in a small market, when you’re run ragged overproducing material, and thus rarely get to do the kind of in-depth features or investigative style of work that is attractive to major organizations. So I’m not a big fan of “journalism-as-an-undergrad-trade-school” trend in terms of producing the kind of deep thinkers valuable to public discourse.</p>

<p>Because Michigan’s school of music is larger, yet still somewhat conservatory and rigorous in nature, you may find you have more options like this without compromising quality because it can offer a wider variety of degrees. Plus of course the plethora of polysci, writing, etc. programs that are top drawer.</p>